American Bred REDONE Episode 6: Time Taken for Granite
by American Companion
Summary: After a flying lesson that ends in a broken Type-40, the Doctor and Kathryn have to search for replacement parts. There's just a few things wrong; a horde of Weeping Angels has reduced everything to nothing. Now they seem interested in Kathryn...and she in them.
1. Chapter 1

The TARDIS made a horrible sheering noise, her usual comfortable _vworp vworp vworp_ distorted by the worse than usual flying.

_Vwirrrp, vviiirrrk, vrrrrunk._

"What is that?" Kathryn yelled as she and the Doctor performed gymnastics trying to sort out the problem.

"Rock!" the Doctor shouted back at her, using his foot to push a button. "Move the plotter left, then back to the center!"

Kathryn rushed to do what the Doctor ordered. "How are we going through rock? And which plotter?"

"The puce one!" the Doctor told her, mumbling around the normal screwdriver in his mouth. He jammed it into a slot and pulled down. The sheering noise gradually lessened, settling out into the usual calm breathing. TARDIS settled with a solid, unsettling thump and the lights went off.

A soft turquoise glow bathed the console room as the emergency lighting came on. Instantly, Kathryn and the Doctor started looking for the damage.

"Life support still good!" Kathryn called out, taking up one of the floor grates and dropping down inside

"Outer hull is intact and the dimensional difference holding in the yellow zone!"

Kathryn's voice rang out from below. "Plasma cooling system is hot, but within normal limits!"

"The zip drive is accessible!" the Doctor answered. "And our Huon particles are stable!" He leaned over and looked down to where she was. "How's the manipulator?"

Kathryn didn't answer.

"Kathryn?"

"It's broken."

"What?"

The Doctor slid in next to her, looking. "Can't be broken," he said. "Those things don't just break. Require repair yes, and sometimes they fizzle out and need a jump start but they don't…break." He stared at it. "Oh."

"I broke the vortex manipulator."

"Yeah." The Doctor bent down over the fractured shards of what used to make the TARDIS a time ship. "Yeah, you did." The Doctor rubbed his eyes. "And I don't have a spare."

"I'm sorry, I—"

The Doctor waved off her protests. "No, I should have been a little more careful teaching you what to do while flying to prevent this sort of thing. You've already had problems landing, should have put up a safety net to keep you out of tunnels and rooms."

"Still…what did I do, exactly?"

The Doctor sighed. "Any number of things. Pushed down too far on the spatial setting, shifted the co-ordinates midflight, sent us to mining colony and missed the entrance…the list goes on."

He stood up and hoisted himself out, then gave Kathryn a hand up. "Well, no worries. I can still build one, if wherever we are has a few of the parts I need. If not, we'll either wait for a few hundred years, or jerry-rig something to make a skip rather than a jump to somewhere we can get a permanent manipulator."

He nodded down at her. "Since you were flying, and I know my ship a bit better, you get the honor of reconnaissance. Do you still steal my stuff?"

"I make good use of your storage closets, if that's what you're asking."

"Do you have anything we can use to communicate?"

Kathryn reached into her bag and produced what looked like compacts an inch in diameter. The Doctor gave her a look. "You've still got the CeaXhells?"

"They work. Now put it in."

The Doctor accepted one and removed an ear bud from the back of the compact and inserted it into his ear. "Set it to silent, if it's got the mode," the Doctor told Kathryn. "If I need to ring you, you might be somewhere you'd rather not be caught." She nodded and opened the compact, twisting a dial in the lid. Seeing she was set, the Doctor nodded at the door.

"Off you pop."

Kathryn slid outside the door.

* * *

She found herself in total darkness. Something dripped, telling her that at least the floor was stone. The air felt odd. Not musty or damp, but odd. There was something in the air, but that wasn't a smell or mist or anything you'd find in air. It was just…odd. Not unpleasant odd; new odd, maybe even exciting odd. But certainly odd.

Kathryn dug in her Gallifreyan messenger bag and pulled out a flashlight and turned it on.

"Aie!"

It took Kathryn a few moments to realize that the multitude of faces around her were stone. Waving the flashlight, she saw that there were hundreds of stone figures.

"Huh. Stone carvers. A tribe of sculptors or something. Interesting."

Looking up and around, Kathryn saw that the entire tunnel was made out of rock, a dark grey with streaks of every color in it.

"Pretty."

Something on the ground caught her eye, under the TARDIS. She looked and grimaced at the bits of statue crushed underneath. "Wicked Witch of the East," she said to herself. "Whoever made those won't be pleased."

Kathryn started picking her way through the stone figures to a turn she saw up ahead. When she made it there, all she saw was more figures, all about as tall as the Doctor.

"Someone has way too much time on their hands," she said aloud, her echo blocked by the carvings. "Or someone has a thing and they collect. Either way, it's not healthy."

Kathryn pulled her CeaXhell out of her pocket and flipped it open. "Renegade to Mother Ship, come in Mother Ship."

"Hello Kathryn," the Doctor's voice said in her ear. "Find anyone yet?"

"No real clue as to when or where we are. I think we're in a tunnel network though, so someone has to be around. Oh, and these people are either over the top religious or have a collecting fetish for depressing sights."

"Why?"

"These tunnels are crammed full of stone angels. They all look like they're crying."

* * *

*Constructive criticism welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*


	2. Chapter 2

"Kathryn, don't blink. Whatever you do, do NOT blink."

Kathryn froze. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Can you make it back to TARDIS?"

"Yes."

"Do it. Now. Don't blink, but get back here now."

Kathryn usually questioned until the Doctor gave his reasons behind his orders, but his voice told her to just act this time. Not blinking, Kathryn made her way back to the TARDIS as swiftly as possible, jumping every time she bumped something.

She got back to find the door locked. "Doctor?"

The door opened from the inside and Kathryn was pulled inside the TARDIS. The Doctor slammed the door shut and dead bolted it.

"Doctor?" Kathryn asked again. "What is going on?"

He crouched to meet her at eye level, grabbing her shoulders. "How many were there? Think!"

"I don't know, a hundred? Probably more." She backed up, shaking him off. "Doctor, what are they? Why are you so scared?"

"The Weeping Angels."

"And they are?"

The Doctor jumped back down underneath the floor, working rapidly at something. "Creatures that feed off of potential energy. They're the fastest things anywhere; blink and you're gone."

"They're stone."

"That's the hellish brilliance of it," the Doctor told her. She could hear the sonic working overtime. "When you look at them, they're just stone, and you can't kill stone. That's why they cover their eyes; they can't even look at each other. I almost pity them because of it. But the second, the very moment you blink, you're gone."

"As in dead?"

"No, as in gone; they send you back in time, let you live to death, then feed on they days you could have—should have—had. The only psychopaths to kill you nicely. Very old creatures, around since…oh, beginning of the universe." The Doctor looked up at Kathryn. "Why are you still here?"

"Gee, love you too."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "No, I don't mean like that. I'm guessing it was dark at first…and if they were all around you someone should have moved. So what are you still doing here?"

"I haven't the slightest. Maybe I'm just that amazing. Or they were recovering from the shock of their squished friends."

"What?"

"We landed on a few of them." She crouched down to try and see what the Doctor was up to. "I thought the manipulator was broken."

"It is. I'm trying to get main power online, start up the view screen and the compasses. I need to know where we landed and get a look outside myself."

Kathryn backed up as the Doctor pulled himself up out of the floor. "Can't you just open the door?"

"I can't risk letting them in here," the Doctor said. "They've tried before. I and a friend of mine, Martha Jones, were sent backwards from 2007 to 1969. There was some wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff in between, but we got back."

"How'd you manage to get rid of them?"

"Quantum lock; it's why they freeze when you look at them. I managed to trick them into staring at each other."

"Reflections of stone."

"Something like that." He started throwing levers and pushing buttons, using his sonic constantly as Kathryn looked on. "Anyway, the Weeping Angels were after the TARDIS; she's full of potential energy, but if they had access to a feast like that they'd turn off the sun. And there were only four of them at the time."

"Pleasant."

"Not really." There was a loud hum. The emergency lights dimmed and the main lights came on.

"And we've got power!" the Doctor shouted happily. Kathryn smiled to herself. He was like a crazy uncle that, no matter what happened, could never quite stay miserable.

The Doctor pulled down the view screen using a roller mouse Kathryn had always found annoying to pull up their current location.

"Twenty-seven point nine dash five six, that's…"

"The Seventh Sector of the Rynax system."

The Doctor gave Kathryn a look. "How do you know that?"

"You gave me a quiz on it last week. Don't ask me about the exact where or the when; I haven't learned that part yet."

"Right. Anyway…" the Doctor went through a few more numbers. "Oh good!"

"What is it?"

"We're on Boron, probably the mining colony. I like mining colonies; friendly people, good food, and most importantly a lot of tools and materials that we can use."

"Then there's just one problem left," Kathryn announced. The Doctor looked at her askance, obviously put out that she'd ruined his moment.

"And that would be?"

"Getting past the pleasant psychopaths."

The Doctor's whole body paused. Kathryn recognized the pose; it meant that he was thinking very hard, and would likely start moving on fast forward in a moment. It was as though he was resting up for the energy burst. Kathryn sometimes wondered if even his hearts dared to beat while he was thinking that hard.

"I've got it;" he said suddenly. "Come with me."

The Doctor led Kathryn through the halls, twisting and turning until he finally got to a large room. Kathryn's eyes widened, mostly out of surprise.

"You have a room solely for…junk?"

"Useful tools," the Doctor emphasized, turning her words on her. Kathryn raised her eyebrows.

"The stuff I use is useful; this is junk."

"Not if you use it right." With a grand sweep he cleared off a table. Kathryn jumped backwards as all sorts of random objects fell to the thickly carpeted floor. There was a slight thump as the Doctor lifted an enormous mirror in a rather ornate frame onto the oaken table.

"Go find me two helmets. Or stiff hats. And wire; I'll need that. Some vests, preferably construction. Oh, and a soldering gun. No, a welder would be better. Hot glue might work if you can't find either of those." He twirled the sonic in his hand, using it to loosen the mirror frame.

Kathryn decided to humor him. Besides, it's not like she had any idea what to do about the issue.

Kathryn was back in about half an hour with a blazing green hardhat, a ski helmet with a sticker that said "Vote Wickerson," two bright orange vests, a roll of fence wire, a hot glue gun with only three sticks, and what looked like one of the first welders that had ever been created.

"Got your stuff," she proclaimed, dumping it unceremoniously on the table in front of him. "And duct tape," she said, waving the roll before sticking it into her bag. "Always good to have some around."

The Doctor looked up from drawing invisible lines on the mirror's surface with the sonic. He cast a critical eye over the collection, then gave a nod of affirmation.

"Well done. Pick a helmet and start giving it a wire lattice on the outside. Use the hot glue to attach it. And I want a wire frame stretching to either side of the head."

Kathryn obeyed, looking curiously at the mirror. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Watching our backs."

Flipping the sonic around in his hand, the Doctor took careful aim at the mirror. Using the butt end of the screwdriver, he gave the mirror four sharp taps, one in each corner. With a final firm rap in the center of the mirror, the whole thing broke into dozens of perfectly uniform squares that were two inches by two inches, two squares that were 8" x 8" , and two rectangles the size of binder paper.

"What on Earth...?"

"Defense Kathryn," the Doctor said, grinning. "Best way to do it."

* * *

An hour later, Kathryn and the Doctor studied the outfits.

"Not precisely flattering."

"Not here to look good Kathryn," the Doctor reminded her. "We're here to go raiding."

"Can't you say shopping?"

"With the amount of Weeping Angels you saw, I doubt anyone is still around."

Kathryn sobered. "What if these don't work?"

The Doctor picked up the larger of the two vests, sliding it on. One of the rectangular mirrors was fixed to the back of it. "Then we're going to be in a fix."

Kathryn put on her own vest, thinking. "What if I went first, and alone?" she proposed. "I'm sure they're over the sudden shock by now; they'll be looking for food, I'm sure. I'll step out and then turn around and close my eyes for a few moments. I'll signal you when we've found out if it works. If they eat me, I'll survive whenever it is they send me until you can figure out a way past the Rockies for the parts, and then to fetch me."

"How am I supposed to know where you are?"

Kathryn smiled smugly. "You aren't the only one handy with a sonic."

"Since when have you had a sonic?"

"I borrow yours."

"What?"

Kathryn ignored the Doctor's tone and reached into her bag until her whole arm had disappeared. She searched for a bit and produced a thing that looked like a hexagonal spider. "I made a TARDIS communicator."

"A what?"

"That's what I call it at least," Kathryn explained. "It sends a digital signal through space, and time too. It took me a week for the blueprints, three more to scour the TARDIS for the parts, and then three days to build it."

"And you know it works because…"

Kathryn bit her lower lip, grinning. "I listened in on the first phone call for Earth. It was so tempting to say something, but I didn't. I might have sneezed though."

"So that was you then?"

Kathryn lifted her eyebrows in momentary surprise, then they dropped. "You would have been there. So, shall we give my plan a try?"

Reluctantly, the Doctor nodded. "It's really all we have. But first, put your TARDIS key in with that DNA transporter you can't let go of; if the Weeping Angels try to take it, I'll know you'll fight to get it back."

Kathryn did as ordered, then straightened. "Into the tiger's cage."

* * *

Kathryn slid outside the door holding a bright chemical lantern. It acted as a three hundred sixty degree floodlight, showing each of the Weeping Angels clearly. Some of the foremost were looking at her. Despite the stone features and empty eyes, she fancied she could feel them studying her. The air still felt strange, yet even more so. There was an electricity to it that had increased. Kathryn felt elated somehow, like this place was wonderful.

She shook her head, deciding it was one of the tricks the Weeping Angels used.

"Counting down now," she said, setting the lantern on the ground. "Trois, deux, un."

With the final number hanging in the air, Kathryn turned to face the TARDIS and shut her eyes.

* * *

*Constructive criticism welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*


	3. Chapter 3

It was beautiful. A cold, clean, shining, heavenly beauty.

Kathryn could see them. Her energy view was working, showing her the Weeping Angels, the TARDIS, and her own body in third person. She was used to this, used to everything being shown in the four energy colors of blue sound, green heat, red light, purple mental. A novelty at first, soon commonplace and nearly dull. It had been her reality for the past four months. Kathryn had had no idea it could be like this.

Mist swirled around the Angels, a thick silver fleece that thinned and thickened as it spun. The Angels showed against the backdrop as what they were; Angels. They moved with a slowness that would have been excruciating had it not been so graceful. They danced among the twirling mist, sparks of all energies showering from them as they swayed.

And then there was her own body. Kathryn usually ignored her own character, was used to seeing herself as a constantly shifting and vaguely humanoid blob of limited Technicolor. But now! Oh, now she was changed! She could see the flecks dropping off of her, things that were like the sparks but so far from them. The silver floated about her, curling around and flowing into her body. It played with the other colors until the flecks on her started to sparkle.

Kathryn heard music too; music that came with the silver mist and had no words or name or instruments Kathryn had ever known, yet was so gorgeous Kathryn wanted to cry. A voice that was also a harp told her it was the song the vortex sang, the song of time and life and all that was amazing.

The Angels started to turn to her, to reach out. Join us, the harp sang. Dance with us among time and the stars. You are one of us, Kathryn. You belong with us. Sing! Sing our song and dance.

A harsh pounding broke into the paradise Kathryn was part of, shattering the tranquility. She inhaled deeply, finding herself turned around and looking at the Angels, who hadn't moved. She felt a severe sadness, nearly grief at the sudden lack of color in the tunnel and the stiffness of the Angels.

"Kathryn!"

Kathryn realized that the pounding was the Doctor inside the TARDIS. She'd forgotten about him.

"I'm alright Doctor!" she called out. "Your plan worked; you can come out."

The deadbolt came off the door and the Doctor stepped out, swiftly closing the door and locking it with his sonic. He had his own lantern and looked very worried and more than a little irritated.

"How long did you need?" he pressed, grabbing her shoulder. He almost looked like he wanted to hug her.

"Pardon?"

"It's been three minutes. You didn't need to wait that long."

Kathryn was surprised. "I couldn't have been that long."

"You were."

"Oh. Well, it—"

Kathryn stopped. She was going to tell the Doctor about what she'd seen, but the harps sang in her mind. Secret, secret, they played. One of us, one of us.

"It was…"

Kathryn realized the Doctor was still waiting and covered for herself. "It was probably your perspective," she said quickly. "Waiting for news always makes time seem to stretch."

The Doctor looked as though he didn't quite believe her and had proof of it. Instead he asked,

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"You seem…preoccupied."

Kathryn shrugged. "It happens. I'm still turning all that language stuff I learned at Atlantis yesterday over in my head." As soon as she said it she knew it was a weak excuse. She went through a language series a day, with complete comprehension.

The Doctor let it slide. "Well then," he said, breathing out. "I guess it's onward then."

"Which way?" Kathryn asked, picking up her own lantern.

"I have no idea."

"Sounds like a plan. You lead."

* * *

The Doctor was worried.

He wasn't worried often, not really. He was always a little sad, always very curious, and always observing things and people and places. He had happy flashes, moments he had trained himself to grab and hold onto as long as they would last. Oh, and he was constantly hyped up on adrenaline to some extent. But worried? Less often.

Right now he was worried for all the right reasons. Something was wrong with Kathryn. He just didn't know what.

The Doctor could see the symptoms easily enough; for starters, she had lost track of time. That didn't usually happen, and in this instance she should have been less than a minute, twenty seconds tops. And then she'd started to say something, but changed her mind and tried to cover up for it. He knew he hadn't been wrong about how long she'd been out there. He was a Time Lord, for goodness sakes! They had instincts about this.

As the finishing touch, she had lied to him. She evaded questions sometimes, and never approached other topics, but never outright lied, especially not with something so easy to see through.

So what was wrong?

* * *

Kathryn followed the Doctor, weaving between the Angels. She could almost feel the sparks jumping off them, could nearly hear them begging to run the way she always did. Such incredible amounts of energy packed into single beings! It nearly outweighed her energy concentration. Release, release, the harps whispered. Wait, wait, they said. Soon, soon, they promised.

Kathryn could hardly wait.

* * *

"Ah-ha!" the Doctor said suddenly. "A sign. I like signs, helpful things."

Kathryn came to a stop next to him, looking at the carved sign hanging from the tunnel roof as the Doctor read aloud.

"Undercity of Boron: Mining Colony, 2 Kilometers straight ahead."

"Good, we're close." Kathryn looked at the Doctor. "Did you bring our shopping list?"

"Raiding," the Doctor reminded her. "I took inventory. Don't worry, I know what we're after."

"Couldn't you just tell me what to look for and we can split up? It'd go faster."

The Doctor knew it was an option, but didn't want Kathryn wandering about on her own, not right now. He raised an eyebrow. "Do you know what a self-insulating compartmentalized giptheorium thermos looks like?"

"Pardon?"

"Precisely."

"Fine then, show off," Kathryn teased. "Lead the way."

* * *

*Constructive criticism welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*


	4. Chapter 4

The Angels thinned out as they neared the city, disappearing completely as they started up what felt like the final hill before Boron Mining Colony.

"They're probably all trying to get to the TARDIS," the Doctor said aloud as an explanation, even though Kathryn hadn't asked.

When she didn't reply, he spoke again, looking backwards over his shoulder. "Kathryn?"

She turned around to meet his worried gaze. Her look was uncommonly blank. "Yeah?"

"Are you sure you're alright?"

She nodded. "Just preoccupied."

"Something I can help with?"

"No, I don't think so." Her voice was distant and carried a dreamy quality with it.

Kathryn walked past the Doctor up the hill and stopped at the crest of it. He moved up to join her and saw why she stopped.

"I've seen ghost towns, but this is…different."

The Doctor had to agree.

The entire city was lit, like pictures of the New York skyline at night. And yet…it was obvious that no one was down there. There was no noise and none of the lights were moving to guide people on the street. Kathryn saw the lights at an intersection turn from mauve to blue, signaling the traffic to proceed.

"The entire city," Kathryn gasped. "They're all gone."

"Must have been very recent," the Doctor said. "Everyone at once, no time to signal for help. Or maybe signal for quarantine, depending on who was at the transmissions office."

"An entire city, scattered through time."

"There were enough of the Weeping Angels to do that," the Doctor told Kathryn, his voice tight. "Start at one end and sweep through."

"So where were they all headed then?" Kathryn asked. "I mean, they already looked like they were going for TARDIS when I first stepped out, and we even landed on some. Why were they all headed that way?"

"Who knows?" the Doctor mused. "Still, we can't spend time talking. We have to head down and get what we need."

"Where do we start?"

"Look for a hardware store of some kind; it's a good place to start."

* * *

Walking through the streets was even more eerie than standing on the rise. The entire city had been carved from the rock, streaks of this color and spots of that one dashing through it. A few open lights flickered on doors, a few said closed.

"They were taken right in the middle of whatever they were doing," Kathryn said, looking through a window made of very thin obsidian. A mannequin in a clothing store still spun slowly, showing off the dress it had on.

"This isn't a colony anymore, or wasn't," the Doctor said. "This is a complete city, large town at least."

"I wonder what the population was."

"Ten thousand, maybe more." He touched her arm. "Come on."

After a great deal of slow, careful wandering, they found a place with a sign that read _Roxanne's Hardware Outlet_ in large neon letters.

"Since I don't know what giptheorium looks like," Kathryn reminded him sarcastically, "what do I get to look for?"

"Wire, large high voltage light bulbs, and glass, preferably multi colored and broken."

"If I find something interesting, can I keep it?'

The Doctor gave her a look, then sighed. "Yeah. Unlikely the owners will be returning."

"Sweet! I'm going to get a wrench," Kathryn declared. "Hit something with a spanner, it doesn't do anything. Give it a good whack with a wrench? Works perfectly."

"Spanners and wrenches are the same thing Kathryn."

"Not when I'm holding it," Kathryn told the Doctor as they stepped into the store.

The Doctor went off in his own direction as Kathryn started to wander the aisles, keeping her eyes open for her own wants and the Doctor's list. The store was clean and well kept, with the faint oily, woody, metallic smell that always came with a hardware store. When she was younger, Kathryn had thought the scent was shipped out to anyone running one of the places. Even now she was still suspicious.

She found the wire and picked up several coils of different sizes. A few boxes of screws disappeared into her bag, as did a wrench that she liked the heft of. She fiddled with what seemed to be a glove that had little purpose besides putting suction cups at the tips of your fingers and slid that into her bag as well.

Something drifted through her, like a savory smell of beef stew from another house, or a lovely poem she used to know but didn't quite remember. She stopped and stood, listening, feeling, then closed her eyes on the chance she would see it.

The silver mist was here too, denser than it had been with the Angels. Was the silver the potential energy that they ate? Kathryn saw flashes of purple, great big dancing spirals of it moving about. One of them, a small one that was pale and almost looked sick, wrapped itself around her wrist and tried to pull.

Entranced, Kathryn gave in, trailing where it led. Suddenly Kathryn bumped into a wall and the purple vanished through it.

Kathryn opened her eyes, blinking a few times before the images made sense to her. She tilted her head, backing up to study the Angel drawings better. There was a clinking sound and Kathryn looked down at what she had bumped.

"Ooo! Glass shards!" She bent down to examine them closer, setting down the coils of wire. The glass caught the still burning electric lights as she picked up a large red one.

"A bit jagged, maybe too varied, but the Doctor should be able to use them."

Still fiddling with the glass, Kathryn stood and picked up a still fresh apple that was on the store owner's desk. Eating it Kathryn began to peruse the store records and other papers, hoping to find an inventory list.

After a bit of searching she found one from a month or so ago. Among the usual things there was a record for a stone angel.

"Huh. Must have come in that way," Kathryn mused around her apple. "First one pops by, gets lonely, so it calls for friends." She sniffed at nothing. "I can understand that."

See us, see us, the harps rippled. Kathryn turned towards the wall, studying the pictures again. From all angles, of the same angel, yet different.

Kathryn glanced at the door. She couldn't hear the Doctor, so he wasn't close. Maybe if she tried she could listen to the music again.

Kathryn closed her eyes. The apple fell from her hand as the other one tightened around the glass shard. Blood started to flow from the wound, but she didn't notice as the Angels sang.

* * *

The Doctor came out of the stock room carrying a large box filled with all sorts of odds and ends; Christmas lights, cylinders of every size and material, random squares of metal, blades from ceiling fans, a floodlight, and several types of hammer.

"Kathryn!" he called as he searched. "Did you find the wire?"

He waited a moment, but there was no answer. The Doctor frowned and tried again. "Kathryn?"

A sticky, salty smell met his nose, a smell that seemed to coat his throat. The Doctor's eyes widened as she recognized it as blood.

"Kathryn!"

Dropping the box, the Doctor followed the smell to the back office, stopping in the doorway. Kathryn was standing facing the back wall, which was covered with sketches of a Weeping Angel. A half-eaten apple had fallen at her feet, getting stuck in the purple blood pooling there. Following the steady drip up, the Doctor saw that Kathryn was clenching a shard of glass.

"Kathryn, what are you doing?" he started cautiously. She didn't answer and he started to walk around her.

"Kathryn, what's going on?" he asked, a little more firmly. Kathryn still said nothing, but now he could see her face.

She was smiling. Not grinning, but a Mona Lisa smile that said Kathryn was party to a great secret, the greatest secret that could ever be. Her eyes were swirling with color, but not the way they usually did when she was furious. This was solid silver, looking like drops of mercury. But as he watched they hardened, solidified, as though they were becoming pieces of rock in her head.

"Kathryn!" The Doctor stood in front of her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "Kathryn, wake up!"

* * *

Someone was yelling at her, shaking her. Kathryn didn't want to open her eyes, didn't want to leave the warm safety of the silver. She was close, she could feel it! If she could stay a little longer, just one minute more, she could sing like them, dance like them, run like them. Admission to the ranks of Angels was nearly hers, if she could just stay a little longer!

* * *

The silver was continuing into the veins around Kathryn's eyes, curling down her neck. The stone followed behind, creeping slowly but steadily. The Doctor was beginning to get properly scared for his friend. He already knew next to nothing about her and now…now something was happening that just wasn't right.

The Doctor never liked resorting to violence, but in this case it seemed necessary. Lifting his hand, he backhanded her sharply.

* * *

Kathryn was nearly immersed in the song, the silver. The sparks fell from her in glorious showers and she could almost feel her wings. Then something hit her hard, breaking the seal. Kathryn could feel the Angels leaving, fading as the music left.

* * *

Kathryn heaved in a great gasp of air, as though she'd been in deep water. She jerked back from the Doctor, staring at her profusely bleeding hand as the let go of the shard.

"What happened?" she forced out, gripping her wrist in pain.

"What happened?" the Doctor repeated incredulously. "Kathryn, you nearly cut your hand in half! And you were turning to stone! What were you staring at?"

"I wasn't staring at anything," she shot back. "I was—" She stopped, swallowing her words and returning her attention to her hand.

"You were what, Kathryn?"

"Nothing." Kathryn flexed her hand experimentally, the scar starting to disappear. "Wow that hurts."

The Doctor studied Kathryn for a moment. "Kathryn, what's silver?"

She looked at him in puzzlement. "Silver?"

"Yeah, energywise." He cleared his throat. "Your eyes were all silver a moment ago, but I haven't heard you mention the color before. Do you know what it is?"

"Haven't the faintest. I've never seen it before."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed, just a sliver. That was an outright lie; he knew it. He wasn't sure how, but he knew it, could tell. What was she hiding? Or was it who?

Not looking at each other, the Doctor and Kathryn picked up their respective finds and the Doctor led the way out of the hardware store.

* * *

*Constructive criticism welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*


	5. Chapter 5

The Doctor and Kathryn didn't exchange many more words along the way to gather the other bits and pieces. The conversation was reduced to lists of what to get.

The Doctor didn't like it in the least. This was usually the reason he didn't spend a lot of time with teenagers; they were sullen, moody, and extremely self-absorbed. But that wasn't Kathryn; Kathryn was more of an adult than many adults he'd met. They talked and laughed about most anything, on multiple levels. So why was she so quiet and withdrawn and…and angry?

Because she was angry. Not a loud anger like she usually had, where she'd tell the offender exactly what was what, but a nasty, simmering, resentful anger. The Doctor had taken her away from something back in the hardware store, something she had enjoyed and wanted more of. What could possibly dull her senses so much that she'd nearly cut her hand in half and start to become really petrified? And then be angry about? Was it a drug? Was someone still living in the city and taking it out on Kathryn? Was it a phase?

The Doctor's hearts almost skipped a beat at that thought. Was this part of her programming, built in when the Rahki designed her? If so, it could mean anything. She was probably malfunctioning as it was.

Wait; did that mean that this was a failsafe? Was she going to remember all of the information—and the feelings—that usually came with being a Jahra Clone? If so, the Doctor was going to be in a tight spot.

* * *

The smallest splinter of Kathryn felt bad about lying to the Doctor. Of course she'd seen the silver energy; of course she had an idea of what it was. Yes, something was wrong; she was meant to be one of the Angels and he kept interrupting! And then all of those stories he'd told her…

She'd asked the Angels, of course. Well, not really asked, but they had explained. It was sort of the same thing as when a lion attacked a person, or any other creature for that matter. They didn't want to harm anyone, far from it! But they had to survive, had to live on something. And they didn't really kill anyone; they just gave them a chance in another place. Most people wanted a fresh start, a clean slate.

Kathryn shot a hooded glare at the Doctor's back. If he could just understand! The Angels weren't killers, didn't want to be. If he could just find them somewhere with lots of potential energy, or temporal energy, or anything like that where they could feed, it would be alright. They could stop displacing people and live. And really, just letting them into the TARDIS to feed a little wouldn't put out a sun. What nonsense!

"Last stop," the Doctor said shortly. Kathryn looked at the building, bored.

"Mirrors?"

"No, it's a jewelers," the Doctor corrected, nodding up at the sign. "We need gold, silver, and copper, plus a few small gears, nuts, bolts, and some of the finer tools."

"Looks like a mirror shop, with all of them in the window," Kathryn said. "Why have a jewelry shop if you don't let people look in? Why have all the mirror's facing out at the street?"

"Maybe for the same reason we're wearing them," the Doctor said, tapping the back of his head. "Still, I don't think it would have worked."

"Why not?"

"The Weeping Angels don't give up easily."

Kathryn sighed and set down her box of stuff. "I'll go in and get what you need."

Kathryn opened the door to the shop. It was well lit inside, and she could see the gems in the display cases winking at her in their settings. She'd never been extraordinarily feminine, but she did like the look of a few of them.

She stepped deeper into the shop, setting her hands on the glass case to study the pieces further.

"Now!"

There was a bang as the door slammed shut. The lights went out and something heavy hit the back of her head.

Kathryn flipped herself over behind the counter and dropped down, only to be tackled by someone that was all arms and legs. Kathryn rolled over and over, trying to wrestle with the mysterious someone as they both pulled punches. Glass shattered as they crashed through the display case, necklaces and rings falling down on them. Another someone started beating at her, missing most of the time and hitting Kathryn's assailant nearly as often as they hit her.

The door burst open again and light flooded in. A sharp whine made Kathryn and her attacker both stop and look up.

Standing in the doorway, sonic lifted like a torch, stood the Doctor. He looked around the shop in his quick, worried manner.

"Is anyone hurt?"

"Who are you?" the young man Kathryn had been wrestling demanded, getting up. His head was cut and the rest of him was covered in glass shards and small cuts. Kathryn pulled herself up as the Doctor answered.

"I'm the Doctor, and the person you were trying to kill is Kathryn. What was that all about?"

"You were going to steal from us!" a slender girl standing off to the side said. She was resting a cricket bat on the floor and glaring at the Doctor. "And with the rest of the madness that's been going on, can you blame us for defending ourselves?"

Kathryn spat out a tooth, already feeling a new one growing in its place. "Huh. Shark teeth." She returned the cold looks of the siblings with one of her own. "Least you could have done was try talking first!"

"You might have had them with you," a small voice said. Kathryn and the Doctor looked towards the back of the shop where a six year old girl was peaking around the door.

"Jaya!" the young man hissed. "I told you to stay in the back."

"But they're nice!"

"You can't know that," he said, a little too quickly.

"Yes I can."

The six year old Jaya looked at her older brother and he sighed. "Fine." He turned back to the Doctor, his face the one of someone made to grow up just a little too soon.

"Close the door and lock it before the Statues get in. We'll talk."

* * *

"Before we go too much further," the Doctor said as they all sat down at a rough table. "I need names."

"I'm Aiden," the young man said. "You've already seen Jaya, and the one with the bat is Katrina. Now why are you here?"

"I broke the ship," Kathryn said blandly. "We figured this place had parts."

"So you were raiding."

"Yes. Didn't think anyone was left to complain."

"So did you send the Statues in to clear the way?" Aiden accused.

"Watch your tongue, kid," Kathryn snipped at him.

Aiden started to rise. "Who are you calling a child, brat?"

Kathryn responded to the challenge. "I'm not the one siccing his twelve year old sister on people."

Katrina put a hand on her brother's arm. "Aiden, please sit. We won't get anywhere arguing."

The Doctor sighed and gave his traveling companion a look. "Kathryn, can't you ever pretend to be diplomatic? For five minutes?"

"No."

The Doctor and Katrina shared a glance that was obviously a plea for patience while Kathryn and Aiden glared at each other across the table.

"Do you have any food?"

The request was accompanied by Jaya tugging on the Doctor's coat and looking up at him with wide brown eyes. He smiled down at her and lifted the six year old up and sat her on the table. "Kathryn, do you still carry your MRE's?"

"Yeah."

"Break them out. I get the feeling the Weeping Angels have been here for a good while."

* * *

"So the Statues are actually aliens, not machines," Aiden repeated for clarification, "and they came here to feed?"

"Yep," the Doctor nodded. "Did this really only happen this morning?"

"Ow, ow, ow hot!"

Kathryn dropped the last MRE on the table, shaking her hands and plopping into the seat next to Aiden. She looked at him. "I swear, your microwave is trying to kill me." She held up a finger to silence a nonexistent protest. "Or at the very least it has a grudge against me."

"For a psychopath, you make surprisingly little sense," Aiden told her.

"Psychopaths don't usually make sense; that's why they're psychopaths," Kathryn explained calmly. "And that was rude. Smart thing with the mirrors. Who noticed the freeze frames?"

"I did," Katrina said. The Doctor and Kathryn looked sharply at her, then shared a glance. She'd answered too quickly.

"Is there someone else here?" the Doctor asked. Aiden shook his head.

"As far as I know, we're the only ones left in Boron. Of course, we haven't been out to go look."

Kathryn propped her chin up on her hand, resting her elbow on the table for a long blink. She opened her eyes and looked into the Doctor's.

"Jaya, what color am I thinking of?" she asked, not looking away from the Time Lord.

"You aren't," the small girl answered promptly around her mouthful of food. "You're thinking of a sideways eight. I think that's the symbol for infinity."

"I knew it!" Katrina said, her voice high. "You're like the other people who came; you can't take our sister, I don't care if she is psychic!"

"No one's taking anyone," the Doctor said quickly. "We're just trying to understand." He looked at Katrina, his eyes gentle. "Have people come for her before?"

Katrina looked to Aiden and he nodded. Katrina turned back to the Doctor. "Jaya's always been like this. We've only recently been able to encourage her to speak instead of sending her thoughts to others. Word of course got around the city, and from there the miners and the traders talked about it in rumors. About…a year and a half ago, some scientists came. They said they wanted to talk to Jaya, but Mom and Daddy didn't believe them, and Jaya absolutely refused to be in the same room as them. We figured it out from there."

Kathryn and the Doctor met each other's eyes again, instantly understanding. Aiden and Katrina saw the shared look.

"What is it?"

"They could smell her," the Doctor said, turning to the brother and sister. "The Weeping Angels. I think your sister has a particularly amazing life in front of her and they wanted it."

"What do you mean, they could smell her?" Aiden asked, suspicious. The Doctor nodded at Kathryn.

"This is your area."

Kathryn sat back and explained. "The Angels exist on potential energy, temporal energy sort of. Like the Doctor told you, they eat the days you could have had. Of course, part of that is your mind. The potential energy of a person isn't only dependent on how long they live; it also depends on how strong and special their mind is, and your sister is absolutely amazing."

"You forgot Kathryn."

Kathryn looked at Jaya. "Forgot what sweetheart?"

"That you hadn't told the Doctor."

Kathryn opened her mouth, then closed it in a grimace. "Put my foot in it that time didn't I?"

"Yes you did," the Doctor told her. "Still, nice to know that you aren't used to this sort of thing."

"What sort of thing?" Katrina asked. "Is something wrong with her?"

"Sort of," Kathryn answered. "I absorb energy like the Angels do but on a wider range, and I don't displace people from time. And the thing I'm not used to is lying."

"What have they been doing?" the Doctor questioned Kathryn. She shrugged.

"Being Angels. Singing. Dancing. I can only see it when my eyes are closed."

"But they aren't!" Jaya protested. Everyone turned to look at her, the bothered note in her voice worrying them all. "You never really close your eyes Kathryn; they were open for the Crying Statues. They used them to crawl inside."

"Inside?"

"Inside your mind. I can see them, and they're so pretty."

Now everyone was looking at Kathryn. She only paid attention to the Doctor. "I don't have words."

"No words or no excuse?" he accused.

"Yes."

"You brought them in with you?" Aiden spoke angrily. Jaya spoke up.

"It's okay Aiden. They like Kathryn."

"I'm a buffet table;" Kathryn said simply. "Why wouldn't they?"

"I need to look Kathryn," the Doctor said.

"No."

"Kathryn, you were starting to turn to stone back in the hardware store. I have to see; maybe I can help."

"Jaya's word is enough, Doctor. She has a strong enough mind that she even tried to get my attention back at the hardware store. If she says we're okay, then we're okay. Stay out of my head."

The Doctor's face hardened. "Kathryn, this is more than an investigation. If they've taken over your mind, none of us are safe, least of all you. We need to see if there's a way to get rid of them."

Kathryn didn't answer. Katrina saw it first.

"You don't want them gone." Her face was pale. "You've…you've befriended them."

Kathryn looked into Katrina's eyes. "They're the most amazing creatures I've ever seen."

"They killed a city!" Aiden exploded. "All of us! We only survived because Jay was able to warn us. They took everyone, and you might as well be one of them!"

The chair scraped along the floor as Kathryn stood, the purple blood rising in her face. "You have no idea who they really are," she hissed. "They don't have any other option! Are you infuriated when a shepherd kills a sheep for dinner?"

"We aren't animals!" Aiden protested. "We're humans, and it's a city! It's our families and neighbors and lives!"

"Humans are close enough to sheep that the allegory still works."

"Kathryn!"

Kathryn stared at Aiden for another moment before looking up at the Doctor. He had gotten out of his chair and was now standing next to her. Grabbing her arm firmly, he pulled her away from the table. "We need to talk."

They stepped into the front room. Glass and gems were still all over the floor. "What is wrong with you?" he snipped at her. "What did they do?"

"Stop pinning everything on them!" Kathryn returned in a heated whisper. "You're never so bias with other species we meet."

"Kathryn, they're psychopaths and killers."

"No one ever dies though!" she argued. "They just get a new start somewhere else."

"The same way you did?"

Kathryn opened her mouth to protest, then shut it. The Doctor relaxed slightly seeing that something had gotten through. "Kathryn, the victims never see their families again. They start over with no friends, nowhere to go, and generally they're in a new place and time. Bad enough for an adult; what happens when someone Jaya's age is relocated like that?"

Kathryn bit the inside of her lip, then shook her head. "We still can't put the Angels completely at fault."

"Kathryn—"

"Everything that ever becomes food for anyone dies in the process!" Kathryn argued over the Doctor. "If the Angels had a Rift or another source of temporal energy to feed from, they wouldn't have to hurt people. You don't know them Doctor; I do."

"Then tell me," the Doctor challenged. "What makes them so brilliant that you'd take their side?"

Kathryn tried to start, but couldn't find the words. "I can't…I can't really explain it, not like this." She sighed. "Fine. But I'm going to have rules Doctor. If you're in my mind, it's by strict invitation only. I'll be leading this tour, and if you so much as look somewhere I said not to, I will push you out. If you ask a question and I don't give an answer, tough."

"Agreed."

Kathryn huffed. "Good. So how does this work?"

The Doctor set his fingers on her temples. "Close your eyes, and take a deep breath."

* * *

*Constructive criticism welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor was on a dirt driveway, a red dirt driveway. There was a house with a chain link fence on one side of him, though the driveway didn't seem to go to it. A forest of mostly oak trees stood across from the house. Inside the chain link fence the Doctor could see chickens, a slightly run down tree house on stilts, and a very old black dog lying on what seemed to be a back porch. A much smaller dog, something that was a cross between a Chihuahua and a Datsun, was also there though obviously much younger than the black dog.

It was still early morning and the air was cold. Very cold. There was hoar frost on the driveway.

Seeing a gate in the chain link fence, the Doctor took a step towards it.

Something very fast and very strong rushed past the Doctor, knocking him back. He spun about, trying to find his attacker, but saw no one. Turning back to look up the driveway, he gave a start.

A young girl, maybe fourteen, was walking towards him. She was wearing riding boots and jeans with brightly colored, randomly patterned patches on it that meshed with the paint stains. Her t-shirt was a plain blue and she wore a jean jacket with the cuffs turned back once. The solid walking stick in her hand completed the picture. The Doctor squinted.

"Kathryn?"

The Girl came a little closer. The Doctor couldn't tell what color her eyes were, partly because the sun wasn't quite up and partly because she was wearing sunglasses. Her face was round and he could already see that her very long hair was kept back in a tight, straight braid.

"Is this what you looked like as a human?"

"Yes."

The voice was slightly deeper too. The Doctor looked down at her, feeling uncomfortable.

"Is the house yours?"

"No."

Now he was really starting to get bothered. "Could you at least take off the glasses?"

The Girl paused and then pushed them back onto her head. The Doctor was surprised at how dark her blue eyes were. "Where are we, exactly?" he asked. She was far too still for his comfort. The Kathryn he knew was like a dragonfly on fire, never stopping even when she was standing motionless. This Girl almost looked like she wasn't breathing.

"Near my house, but not quite," the Girl answered. "I'm too easy a mark there. Even this is too close for me. This is my neighbor's house," she said, gesturing at the yard without looking at it. "I live further up. I used to ride their horse in the early mornings on the weekends. You're here for the Angels though. I'll take you to them."

She turned sharply and stepped into the forest, locating a leaf covered path. It looked man made.

"Logging?"

The Girl nodded. "Yes. They were going to build a residential area here. It didn't work out, thank goodness."

There was silence again. The Doctor glanced around, hearing voices and snatches of conversations. In between the trees he was certain he saw people and places that were certainly not forest. Then they'd vanish like a mirage, only to be replaced by something else. They all seemed less than joyous or had depressed undertones.

"Bad childhood?"

"No, just how I separate my mind," the Girl said.

"So where're the happier bits?"

"The orchard." The Girl didn't elaborate further.

Something clattered and the Doctor turned his head sharply. He could see what looked like a kindergarten class room during art time. In first person view, he saw a pair of black Mary Jane's next to a tipped easel. The pink skirt of what must have been a new dress was splattered irreparably with bright yellow and blue and red. The screen went blurry with tears as the view shifted to a young boy.

"You did that on purpose!" a high, struggling voice said.

"Did not!" the boy protested nastily.

"Yes you did!" the high voice returned.

The same very fast, very strong thing rushed past the Doctor, knocking him back. It hurt more this time. He felt blood on his cheek and looked over at his guide. She was anything but apologetic.

"Three strikes you're out."

The walk continued, going sharply up a hill. The Doctor started to notice solid beings among the mirages. He realized with a start that the sparking things were Weeping Angels.

"Kathryn…"

"They won't hurt you."

"How many are there?"

"I didn't see a reason to count."

"The sparks?"

"It's restrained energy," the Girl answered. "That's why they move so fast. Weeping Angels are almost solid energy, pure power. It hurts when you stand still, because it all wants to go somewhere. You want to run and run because it relieves the pain but it also brings it. You need to yell and dance and think but doing any of those creates more energy than you can use."

"You make it sound personal."

"It is."

They turned a corner and the Doctor pulled up short, drawing in a deep breath. He didn't know if he was looking at a memory or something physically in Kathryn's mind, but it was…there weren't any words to fully describe what he saw. What he felt…that was different.

It was like the Girl had just said; you wanted to do everything at once, felt that if you didn't you would explode. The Weeping Angels were everywhere, mixed in with the immense amount of power pulsing somewhere behind a nearby barrier. Impossibly, he could feel the power still increasing. He'd been there less than a minute but the pain it was causing was already setting in.

"Is it always like this?"

"Yes," the Girl said, her voice slightly choked. "And it drives you absolutely mad." She slid her hand in his and smiled up at him. It sent a chill down his spine. "But they understand. They're friends Doctor, really they are. They understand me. They can hear the colors, feel the sounds, taste the light, smell the thoughts. They know what it's like! They know how it feels to be trapped in yourself, to want to move even when you can't. They understand the addiction; the more you use, the more you crave, but if you don't use it you'll go insane from the pain."

She looked away and back at the lights. "You've seen them. Is there something specific you were planning?"

"I don't know anymore."

"Then we're done."

The Doctor felt the telepathic connection severed sharply and his eyes opened as Kathryn stepped backwards. He was in the shop again.

"You welcomed them," he said, surprised at how accusatory he sounded. "You'd become one of them in a heartbeat."

"And why shouldn't I? Couldn't you hear the music?" Kathryn's eyelids fluttered and she swayed, lifting a hand to her head. The Doctor stepped forward to help but she waved him off.

"I'm fine, I just…" Kathryn closed her eyes. "My head hurts."

"Probably because of the mind reading. Takes getting used to."

"We aren't doing that again."

There was a beat before the Doctor asked, "What music Kathryn?"

"The singing." She looked at him large eyes. "The vortex. They can hear it singing, and I can hear it too, now that I've met them." Kathryn smiled. "It's beautiful Doctor. It's the most amazing thing you've ever heard, and it makes you want to dance. Not a wild unplanned dance, but a graceful one where you spin and sway and laugh. But it makes you want to cry too."

The Doctor looked at Kathryn. He'd heard it before, the music she was talking about. He was a Time Lord; he could always hear it. But age made it less novel. The Doctor had forgotten what he felt like when he'd first heard it.

No wonder she was in love with the Weeping Angels. They'd just offered her a species and family to belong to, the vortex to sing with, and a place for all her energy to go. What more could she want?

"Kathryn…" The Doctor sighed. "Just because you're the Stone Whisperer doesn't mean that Aiden, Katrina, or especially Jaya are safe here. We need to get them out, and we need to get the TARDIS fixed. I need you to not go off with the Weeping Angels until then, alright?"

"And then we'll leave, and I'll never see them again."

The Doctor looked into Kathryn for a long moment, stuck his tongue into his cheek, and gave a deep sigh. "Kathryn, if I need to bring you back, or if you decide—notice this choice is only yours—that you're going to stay, then you can. I don't force people to travel with me. But we are getting those three to safety first, and that is the end of that. Deal?"

"Deal," Kathryn answered immediately. His face was blank, so she met his gaze. "You have my word, Doctor. I won't do anything until our new friends are safe. Now what else do you need done?"

* * *

A few hours later, the small band was ready. Kathryn had created mirrored outfits for the three siblings, though she had simply given Katrina hers. The Doctor had looked at her sadly and let it slide. While Kathryn had been working on that task, Aiden had helped the Doctor use the shop equipment to create a few extremely small and delicate parts.

Katrina and Jaya met them all in the front room, what few personal things were at the store wrapped in a small bundle.

"You're sure your ship will fit us?" Katrina asked the Doctor worriedly.

"She's not his," Kathryn said, adjusting the knapsack of metal scraps she was carrying. "TARDIS is a living woman. And yes, she'll fit us all." She sniffed at looked at Jaya, then up at Katrina. "Who's carrying Small One?"

"Carrying?"

"Yeah, carrying." Kathryn rolled her eyes. "Please, a snack like that, walking on her own? Not safe. Someone's carrying her. Not me, I might siphon the life out of her or something."

"Katrina's not strong enough," Aiden interjected. "I can do it."

"No, you've already got stuff to lug along," Kathryn said. She flicked her eyes at the Doctor and smiled. "Doctor…you're good with kids, right?"

Jaya smiled up at the Doctor with large eyes. Something twitched behind his eyes, but he nodded. "Sounds like a plan." He picked up the small girl and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Kathryn thought that the picture seemed right somehow, the Doctor holding a young girl. She realized that she didn't know if he'd ever had a family of his own. Maybe she should ask.

The Doctor surveyed the collection of young people, scrutinizing them before giving his orders. "Kathryn, bring up the rear. Aiden, stay with her."

"What?"

"Excuse me?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at the protest of the two teenagers. "The Weeping Angels are less likely to try sending Kathryn somewhere. Aiden, I need you to make sure she stays grounded. Insults usually work, but if she starts drifting off you can smack her."

Kathryn pinned Aiden down with an eye. "I will hit you back."

"Try it girl."

"You ever had a fist fight with a Texan?"

"You ever wrestled a Boronite?"

The Doctor hid a smile. "Katrina, I want you in the center. Single file once we hit the Weeping Angels. Let's go."

* * *

Kathryn and Aiden walked in cold silence until they left the city, while Katrina, Jaya, and the Doctor seemed quite comfortable with each other.

Finally Kathryn couldn't stand it. Once they'd gotten over the rise leading to the TARDIS, she spoke. "What exactly did you mine here?"

"Seriously?" Aiden scoffed. "A city that goes by the name of Boron and you need to ask?"

"Don't get snippy with me, boy," Kathryn shot back. "I'm trying to figure out what you use it for whenever this is."

"You don't know what year it is?"

"I'm a time traveler; it has less impact than you think."

"2.74 10 up 6."

Kathryn blinked, translating and multiplying. "2,740,000."

"It's easier with scientific notation."

"I'll give you that," Kathryn conceded. "Doesn't it ever get tiresome though? Living under so much rock all the time?"

* * *

"Never," Katrina said, shaking her head at the Doctor's question. "I never understood how people could stand to hang onto the skin of a planet, with nothing to protect them. Down here, the living rock surrounds us, keeps us safe. We can live our whole lives just from what rock provides. We have natural springs, building materials, and we even have food using the moss, fungus, and other plants that grow down here."

She looked at Jaya, who had fallen asleep on the Doctor shoulder, and smiled. "You must be a father. Is Kathryn your daughter?"

"No," the Doctor answered promptly. Katrina frowned.

"Niece then?"

"No. We aren't related."

Katrina looked away, seeming to be almost embarrassed. "Then…"

"I'm her guardian," the Doctor explained. "Sort of a teacher too. Nothing else."

"But you seem so worried about her."

"I'm always worried about something."

"My mother was like that."

The Doctor glanced at Katrina before focusing on the Weeping Angels in the road.

"Tell me about your parents."

* * *

Aiden gave Kathryn a look. "What makes you ask?"

She shrugged. "It helps."

"Experience?"

"Not really. Doctor's not much of a listening type, particularly when it involves emotions or memories."

Aiden smiled. "He does talk a lot."

"He certainly does. Still…you want someone to listen?"

Aiden was quiet for a few moments before nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I do."

There was a threatening rumble from somewhere up above. Kathryn and Aiden had fallen somewhat behind, and now the gap between the two groups seemed impossibly far as pebbles started to rain down.

"Cave in!"

Jaya woke up, twisting in the Doctor's arms as she stretched for her brother. "Aiden!"

Kathryn looked up at the tunnel roof, back at the Doctor, and made a decision. Slinging off her bag, she spun a few times and let it fly. It landed at the Doctor's feet with a thud, soon followed by Aiden's bag of parts.

"We'll catch you later!" Kathryn yelled to him. She and Aiden started running back as the area fell apart faster and faster.

In front of her, Aiden tripped. Kathryn latched onto his arm and pulled him up. She glanced behind and above them and gave Aiden a push that sent him hurtling forward. He sprawled on the ground, covering his head as the dust settled around him.

As soon as he could see he was up again. The tunnel was filled top to bottom with rubble and boulders.

"Jaya! Katrina!"

There wasn't an answer. He hadn't really expected one. "Kathryn!"

There wasn't an answer. This time he had expected one. "Kathryn!" Aiden tried again, starting to look.

In the dim light of the few emergency lamps that were still going, Aiden spotted a bloody hand sticking out of the debris.

"Kathryn!"

* * *

*Constructive criticism welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*


	7. Chapter 7

Working with a fevered panic, Aiden started digging around the hand. Soon an arm showed, then a head with a neck. Checking for a pulse and finding none, Aiden slumped backwards stunned. Kathryn's head lolled grotesquely on a broken neck, face and skull dented by the rocks that had killed her. Her arm was bent the wrong way and the bone was showing through the purple blood.

What if that had happened to his sisters?

Terrified by the thought, Aiden scrambled up, determined to find a way through. He'd only gone a few yards before everything stopped.

The light from the emergency lamps vanished. All sound fell away. There was no heat, and his mind was blank. Even time had no meaning. He was in a great sea of nothing, only aware of his fragile heartbeat.

_ Toump toump._

_ Toump toump._

_ Toump toump_.

Then everything came rushing back in, a burst of sensations and thought. Aiden stumbled as though someone had let go of a string that had been holding him back. A heaving gasp and a sickening crack drew his attention back to Kathryn.

Her head was lifted and she was heaving, trying to pull in air. There was another snap as the bones in her arm realigned and it jerked back into place. It was like an old, poorly made horror film; eyes bulging and still covered in blood, Kathryn struggled against the rock. Aiden stared for a moment, then dashed over and helped pull her out, throwing rocks off to the side.

Finally tumbling from the rubble, Kathryn lay on the stone ground, her broken bones still trying to piece themselves together. Not knowing what would help or damage, Aiden took the initiative and pulled out rocks that were still stuck in her.

Eventually the re-construction ended. Kathryn stayed on the ground as her breathing slowly evened out. Her eyes danced around questioningly, as though the explanation for what had happened would be found in the dimming emergency lights. Not finding what she sought, she swallowed and spoke.

"What happened?"

"You don't know!?" Aiden exclaimed. "You…you just came back from the dead. You were dead. You…were _dead_!"

Kathryn blinked. "That's…new."

"New? This isn't a regular occurrence or something?"

"Never happened before." Moving carefully, Kathryn picked herself up. Rubbing her face, she looked up at the cave in.

"Speaking of regular occurrences…what about this thing?"

"Same as your…thing," Aiden said. "This has never happened before. These tunnels are solid stone; cave ins don't happen."

Kathryn stared hard at the debris, as though if she stared long enough they would tell her what happened. "I've got a theory. It's not much, but it's a guess." She looked at Aiden. "If the Angels are anything like me, they can manipulate energy. My guess is that they used it to trigger the cave in, somehow."

"Why would they do that?"

"Divide and conquer my friend; divide and conquer. You'll notice that our mirrors were shattered in the process."

"What about the others?"

"I don't know." Her eyebrows shot up and she pulled open her damaged messenger bag. "But if we're very, very lucky…" Kathryn's face fell as she pulled out a handful of broken circuits on dangling wires. "Scratch that communique. Is there another way around?"

"Depends," Aiden said. "Where was your ship parked?"

"She," Kathryn said, stressing the pronoun "is about half a mile past your sign."

Aiden thought for a moment. "Then yes. If we use Obsidian Hall, we might find a way." He looked at Kathryn skeptically. "You're fine," he asked.

"Yes," Kathryn answered, pulling something from her bag. She tugged on a pair of gloves. "Always carry a spare set. Never know when I might need to avoid killing someone." Kathryn raised her eyebrows at him. "Note of safety: don't try kissing me."

"Why, in the name of all that is sane, would I ever do that?"

Kathryn shrugged. "How should I know? Not like there's that much of an age gap."

"I'm seventeen."

"And I'm fifteen." Both of them looked up as a lamp went out. They looked back at each other. "Now, take us to Obsidian Hall," Kathryn commanded.

* * *

Jaya's voice was still going at full volume though she was unharmed save for being very dusty. Most of the cave in had followed Kathryn and Aiden, as though they had been targeted.

Aiden was precisely what Jaya was screaming about. Katrina took her sister from the Doctor as Jaya continued struggling to get to the rock wall. Katrina made shushing noises, trying to calm her sister.

"It's okay Jaya. Aiden's fine, I'm sure of it."

The six year old shook her head fiercely, tears running down her dirty face. "He won't stay that way. They're all waiting! All of them!"

"All of who, Jaya?"

"The Crying Statues. They're all waiting."

Katrina looked at the Doctor, fear on her face. His own expression was questioning. "Is there another way around?"

"All the tunnels are connected. It's extremely possible," Katrina said.

The Doctor looked at both girls for another moment before bending to be on eyelevel with Jaya. "Hey, Jaya. Look at me for a moment."

She sniffled and blinked at him. He smiled gently. "You read Kathryn, right?"

Jaya nodded. "Then you know her pretty well, right?"

Again, Jaya nodded. "Then you know she'll do whatever it takes to bring back your brother. He'll serve as map, and she'll serve as bodyguard. Alright? You'll see Aiden again."

The Doctor ran a hand over her head before picking up the bags Kathryn and Aiden had thrown over. "Come on; we still have half a mile, and we should get the TARDIS ready before the others show up."

He strode out ahead of Katrina and Jaya, fighting down his worries.

* * *

"So, Aiden," Kathryn said as they walked. "Parents."

"Typical family. I was following in my father's footsteps, family business kind of thing."

Kathryn made a buzzer noise. "Wrong answer. I don't care about family business kind of thing; I want to know what your parents were like."

Aiden thought for a moment this time. "My dad wasn't much of one for the fancy pieces. He liked watches—delicate work that served a purpose—and engravings. Things that meant something. His temperament was the same way. Quiet person, didn't like to waste words or actions on stuff that didn't mean anything." Aiden smiled. "Now my mother, she enjoyed the fancy. Designing, creating, setting…she'd follow a piece through right until the end, extravagant pieces but very well made."

"What about you?"

"Custom jobs," Aiden answered instantly. "Taking someone's vague idea and crafting it exactly as they pictured it. Though," he admitted, "Jaya helped me with that. She'd send me the image and I'd figure out how to make it reality."

"So you solidified dreams," Kathryn summed up. "Sounds marvelous." Her expression changed. "Are you okay? I mean, like, really okay?"

"Big question for someone I only just met."

Kathryn ignored the defensiveness in his tone. "You don't have the time to waste being strong if you don't need to be. I know you understand what you'll have to do once the Doctor gets you all out of here. Take a breath before diving in head first."

Aiden suddenly looked much younger, more vulnerable. "I'm scared," he admitted after a moment. "Katrina and Jaya are my responsibility now. As long as we find somewhere where I can work, we should be fine."

"Don't worry; the Doctor will set you up someplace."

Kathryn paused by a wooden door in the rock. It looked very out of place there. "What's this?"

"Explosives for the mining," Aiden told her. She looked at him oddly.

"What, you don't have drilling lasers or something?"

"We do, but they use massive amounts of power and the city always comes first. There's a lot of mauve tape you have to fight through to use them. They're stored up ahead. Once we get to the TARDIS and I see my sisters, we can take a look."

"Sounds like a plan."

They walked in silence. Aiden looked at her sideways. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You're awful young to be traveling; are you related to the Doctor or something?"

"Not exactly. We're sort of family; I mean, we aren't really close to anyone else, and we've traveled for a bit, so it's kind of like having an uncle. A tall, British, insane uncle, but still a relative."

"What about your real family?"

"Haven't got one."

"You must have come from somewhere."

"Test tube."

Aiden's face told of his skepticism. "Come on; my turn to listen."

Kathryn chewed on the inside of her lip. "I thought I had one, but they weren't exactly mine. I miss them like they were, but they don't really know that I left. The real me, the person I'm a copy of, is still there. She's back where she belongs, and I get to travel time and space. All works out in the end."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Not much of a kid, are you?"

"No time for it."

Kathryn stopped, blinking rapidly. A look of joy crossed her face. "They're up ahead. I can feel them."

"Who?"

"The Angels," Kathryn breathed. "All of them, waiting for us. Waiting for me."

* * *

*Constructive criticism welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*


	8. Chapter 8

Aiden grabbed Kathryn's shoulder as she started forward. "Hold it squirt," he said dryly. "You might be best friends with the rocks, but they wouldn't hesitate to eat me."

Kathryn stared at him blankly before nodding. "Right. Made a promise to get you out, need to see it through." She frowned, thinking hard. Aiden could see that nothing was coming up, so he proposed an idea.

"What if we link arms? Go back to back I mean. I'll take front because I know the way, and you can watch behind us. Just don't close your eyes, not both at once."

Kathryn nodded. "Right. Good plan. Let's go then."

They made slow progress at first. Kathryn kept drifting off and slowing down, and they couldn't quite get the rhythm. Aiden started questioning her to keep her awake, mostly about things that required figuring: math, science, history trivia. It was beginning to develop into a contest when Aiden paused and groaned.

"Lovely."

"What is it?" Kathryn asked, her voice floating up behind him.

"There was a cave in in here too. I think they planned this."

Kathryn didn't answer right away. "You said the lasers were near here; can you work one?"

"Probably. We'll take a detour."

Aiden shifted slightly, turning away from the now closed tunnel as he continued leading. His mind searched for another topic to keep Kathryn alert.

"Did you have a boyfriend where you came from?"

"Are you asking me?"

"Kathryn."

He could hear the teasing apologetic note in her voice. "Sorry. No. I didn't have a boyfriend."

"Had your eye on anyone?"

Kathryn hesitated before speaking. "There was one guy. We got on. But stuff happened."

"Argument?"

"No. He…left."

Aiden thought the pause had sounded strange, but didn't comment on it.

"What about you?" Kathryn returned. "Before the Angels, I mean."

"Yeah. Yeah I did. She was very sweet, but really sharp. I couldn't believe it when she said she liked me."

"Was she pretty?"

"She's the most beautiful girl in the world."

The conversation rested. Aiden could almost feel Kathryn considering all the stuff they'd talked about. From what he'd gathered, they were a lot alike. In her case she'd been taken rather than left, but she only really had herself to worry over. Still, he supposed that he technically still had his sisters, whereas she had the Doctor. Maybe he'd run into someone where ever it was they were placed.

It was too bad Andrea hadn't been left with them.

Aiden jerked to a stop. He sighed and pulled at Kathryn. "Come on; we're almost there."

Kathryn didn't move. Aiden glanced around him, wondering if it was worth the risk to look away from the surrounding Weeping Angels to look directly at Kathryn. Finally he decided it was and moved to take his arm out of Kathryn's.

It didn't move. Feeling trapped, Aiden tried in vain to turn around to see Kathryn. He caught glimpses of her face, terrified by the blank, stony look it was gathering. There was a strange, silver glow too, but he had no idea what it was.

"Kathryn!"

The lock on his arms tightened. He tried pulling her over, forcing her sideways, pushing her back. It didn't work. She was as solid as one of the statues.

No, Aiden realized with horror. She was _becoming_ one of the statues. Kathryn was turning into a Weeping Angel.

He began to panic and struggle. He couldn't be sent off; he had to take care of Jaya and Katrina. There was too much he had to do, had to be around for, wanted to see. He couldn't do it if he was sent someplace! And not everyone could make it, right? It wasn't natural to be displaced. What if he never got back?

"Kathryn!" he shouted again. "Kathryn, wake up!"

Aiden's mind spun. The Doctor had said to smack her, like you did with people who were hysterical. But he couldn't move!

The world started to go fuzzy. Something opened around him and his mind nearly broke with the sights.

* * *

Send one, send one, the Angel chorus trilled. Let him begin again. You can send him to her. Focus on his thoughts, let them meet.

The vortex sang as Kathryn opened the way for…for…oh, his name didn't matter. Right? It used to. She could feel him fighting, struggling. Why? Who would fight the Song of the Vortex?

He was yelling at her, a jarring discord that clashed with the complex simplicity of the Vortex.

_You promised!_

The words danced vaguely, powerfully, into her head as the struggling person vanished and a rush of power and life swept through Kathryn.

She inhaled deeply, the silver dissipating with the song and the beauty as the real world snapped back into focus. For a second, Kathryn couldn't move, her limbs and joints like rock. When they loosened, she spun about, knowing what she would see.

Aiden was gone. She'd sent him away, just as the Weeping Angels had the rest of his family.

"Aiden!"

Feeling suddenly sick, Kathryn collapsed to her hands and knees, shaking. "Just like before. Just like before," she whispered to herself. She could feel energy dancing along her spine, the days she'd just stolen from Aiden.

No. Not just Aiden. From Jaya and Katrina too. She wasn't like the Weeping Angels. When she'd been taken, she was the only one hurt. The Silent Assassins hurt everyone connected to that person.

Picking herself up, Kathryn stared into the eyes of the statue in front of her. "You almost had me. You were so close." Not sure if this was an admission, a challenge, or a disappointment, Kathryn felt suddenly helpless and lashed out, shoving the Weeping Angel. It rocked slightly and Kathryn became unreasonably incensed that it hadn't toppled. Throwing her full weight against it, Kathryn shoved the statue over. It fell, slowly it seemed, hitting its sisters as it crashed against the ground.

Kathryn stared at the cracked and broken Weeping Angel, watching silver seep from the damaged bits. A smile—a damaged, sick, gleeful grin—spread over her face. She threw her head back in a disturbing laugh.

"What do you know?" Kathryn crowed. "Stone does bleed!"

* * *

"There's a laser solder under the sink in the kitchen," the Doctor called to Katrina from under TARDIS's console room floor. He had made a dozen such requests in the past half hour. Katrina had quietly done each one, doing her best to help with the repair. She had transported everything from glass dust (sneeze and the minute shards would become a permanent part of your lung) to molten metals (spill it on yourself and melt the appendage). Jaya had been blessedly quiet, spending the time just sitting and watching the door, rocking back and forth with a fretful expression.

Katrina retrieved the solder and brought it to the Doctor, who took it with a nod of thanks. He had no goggles, in fact to protective gear of any kind. His face, eyebrows, and hair all looked singed, but he didn't seem to notice.

"I'm starting to get worried," Katrina confessed. "They should have been able to make it here by now."

"They'll be alright."

"You keep saying that, but you really don't have any way of knowing," Katrina protested. "There's hundreds, maybe even a thousand of those things, and we don't know where they are. Aiden and Kathryn could be right in the middle of them!"

"If they are," the Doctor said, not looking away from his work, "then I'd be more afraid for the Angels. Kathryn has enough arrogance that she's probably looking for a way to kill stone."

"But…but she's friends with them," Katrina pushed. "How do you really know that Aiden's safe with her?"

The Doctor attached one last wire to the giptheorium container and pulled himself out. He looked at Katrina. "She made me a promise, and Kathryn never makes promises lightly." He turned to the console, the mood lightening. "Now, I just flip this switch here and—"

_ Kkzzzzztch kraw kow!_

TARDIS shuddered furiously. Katrina immediately dashed for Jaya as the Doctor started moving around the console, throwing levers and pulling out stops before realizing it was an outside force. Pulling down the view screen, all he could see was a dust cloud with a blazing red laser cutting through it. It looked like someone was trying to enlarge the tunnel that the TARDIS was in.

Then he started making out shapes. The blood drained from the Doctor's face as he recognized Kathryn, striding before a horde of Weeping Angels. She kept stopping in front of them, freezing them just as they reached out to rid themselves of her. She was using a nearly empty role of duct tape to strap blocks of something to their chests.

"Where's Aiden?" Katrina asked next to the Doctor. He felt her eyes on his face and turned to meet them. Her gray stare was colder than that of the Weeping Angels.

"You said he'd be safe."

"She's going to mine them," Jaya said suddenly, pointing at the screen. Katrina focused on the blocks for a moment before her eyes widened in near horror.

"That girl has mining explosives," Katrina gasped. "She must have found them in one of the storage rooms." Katrina stared openmouthed before speaking. "She's going to turn them all to gravel."

The Doctor bolted for the door. His mind had already worked it out. Kathryn had lost her grip, and Aiden had been sent back in time. Now Kathryn had snapped. As horrible as the Weeping Angels were, as dangerous and deadly and psychopathic as they could be, Kathryn couldn't do this. She'd never rid herself of it, never.

He threw open the door in time to be barreled over by Kathryn. He heard a small beep before the door slammed shut.

TARDIS shook furiously as explosions destroyed the surrounding horde of Weeping Angels and the tunnel collapsed around them.

When the Doctor's ears stopped ringing, he could hear Katrina soothing her sister. He wasn't paying attention though. Every fiber of his being was focused on Kathryn.

* * *

*Constructive criticism welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*


	9. Chapter 9

"You destroyed them."

Kathryn ignored the Doctor's accusation and disbelief, staying exactly where she was.

"What—did you do—to my—brother?"

Kathryn straightened in response to Katrina's shaking, furious voice. She turned, her face wan, and walked heavily to Katrina.

"I killed him," Kathryn said, meeting Katrina's eyes with no attempt to hide her crime. "I let myself be drawn in, and his death is no one's fault but my own."

Katrina's eyes welled with angry tears and she slapped Kathryn, making a sharp cracking sound in the absolute silence.

Kathryn didn't retaliate. Instead she reached into her messenger bag and withdrew and envelope. "In order to get through a second cave in, I had to use the drilling laser. I believe he left this in there for you to find."

Katrina took it gently, staring at it. "This is new paper," she said with a thick voice. "Our timelines overlapped. I must have passed him on the street, seen him in the shop…and I never knew. I would have completely ignored him." Her hand shook as her gray eyes shot back up to meet Kathryn's green ones. "I hate you Kathryn Moore. His suffering is entirely your fault, and I hate you for it."

Jaya had started crying as Katrina turned and disappeared deep into the TARDIS.

The Doctor watched Kathryn's back. He'd gotten good at reading backs in his nine centuries of life. Right now, hers was tense, bracing itself against emotion and what it knew was coming.

"Talk to me Kathryn." It was an order, not a request.

"They sang a song, and I sold myself," Kathryn responded in a dull voice. "I held him prisoner while I turned to stone, and I—not one of the other Weeping Angels, but I—opened a hole in time for him to be pushed through. I killed him and fed off of the days I stole from Aiden, from Katrina, from Jaya, and from everyone else that died in that city."

"And so you murdered the Angels as revenge."

"No," Kathryn responded. She turned to look at the Doctor, her expression hiding nothing. "I killed as a preventive measure."

This wasn't what the Doctor had been expecting to hear. But he certainly had an answer for it.

"Death is never a chosen route Kathryn."

"It is when you've been in the enemies' heads," Kathryn said, her voice rising slightly. "Nothing can stop them. We're underground; the city of Boron has to get their stuff out somehow. Someone must come to meet them, someone will come looking. If that many Weeping Angels got out and were free to run about the universe no one would be safe."

"What might happen never justifies a death!" the Doctor snapped. Kathryn's eyes blazed with anger, pain, and self-hatred.

"Then what would you have done!?" Kathryn yelled back. "Talked to them? Asked nicely? Nothing would have stopped them Doctor! I killed them all, and I'm glad of it!"

The Doctor stepped back, feeling as though he'd just been hit.

"Glad?" he repeated, voice pure shock. "Glad?" he asked again, disbelief rising. "Glad!?" he shouted, hurt and furious and confused. His voice turned cold, authoritative. "You committed genocide, Kathryn Moore."

"I said I was glad, not that I was proud, Doctor."

The Doctor continued to look at her as though he were about to pronounce sentence. "It should never have crossed your mind."

"It did, and I acted on it." Kathryn swallowed hard, struggling with emotions. Memories, guilt, and confusion ran loose behind her eyes before she settled on accusation and defense. "Don't try to point fingers, Time Lord. Who do you think I learned it from?"

The Doctor felt his hands go cold even as heat rushed to his face. "I've seen the aftermath of battles Kathryn, looked at what I've left behind."

The Doctor was still near the door. Turning, he threw them open.

"You need to see what you've done."

The scene, though made only of varying shades of the same grayish silver, was still gruesome. Hunks of statues were everywhere in messy piles of hands, faces, and torsos with great, gaping holes. Silver was spread and flowing like water. Or blood.

The Doctor heard a loud crash behind him and he jerked his head around, eyes widening.

Kathryn looked like she was having the mother of all seizures. Foam and purple blood leaked from her clenched mouth and she jerked about like a fish. Something sparkling—thick silver glitter with streaks of purple—was flowing in through her eyes like tears going backwards.

The Doctor crouched next to her, worried. "Kathryn?"

He knew he couldn't reach her. Purple was mental energy, so was the silver time? It had to be; but what to do about it?

"My name is Lux, have you seen my mummy?"

The words had come from Kathryn's mouth, but they weren't hers.

"My name is Ron. The angels destroyed us! Where am I? What happened? I don't understand."

It was the people, the city. All the potential and all the minds that had been in Boron were still floating about in the air and now with the Weeping Angels gone Kathryn was the only place they had to go.

The Doctor didn't understand the energy spectrum, but he did understand minds. Setting his fingers on Kathryn's temples, he closed his eyes and stepped through the door.

* * *

He was on the same red dirt road as before, but it was no longer quiet and cold. The sun blazed through the trees with a scorching heat and everywhere, there were people. Clamoring, crowding, fighting, crying people.

The Doctor forged through, struggling to get through into the orchard and away from the forest. When someone wanted to hide in their own minds—which Kathryn was certainly doing—they went to their center, and that was almost always a joyful moment. If she hadn't been lying earlier, she'd be in the orchard.

The leaves on the walnut trees were a blazing emerald color, the dirt seemed impossibly rusty red, and the sky was so blue it hurt. It would have been a brilliant sight, if the entire orchard hadn't been crammed with people. The Doctor made out glimpses of memories, smiles and laughter and family and friends. But only memories. Everything was in first person; Kathryn was nowhere to be seen.

The Doctor pulled back from Kathryn's mind slightly to try and sort out his own thoughts. Kathryn's mind wouldn't last very long with this many people in it. She valued privacy and quiet and solitude, but she would be vulnerable here.

Her home.

It came upon him so suddenly that the Doctor wondered later if Kathryn hadn't told him somehow.

The Doctor went back to the entryway. The house with the chain link fence was a neighbor's. She'd come from up the road. That's where he would go.

Shoving people aside, the Doctor forced his way through the crowd as he followed the red dirt driveway. He went past a huge oak at the bottom of a hill up to where it flattened out. Glancing sideways over the people, the Doctor saw a panoramic view of mountains, grape vines, and a sliver of a lake. Ignoring the beauty, he pushed his way across gravel and up to a ranch style house. The wooden door had glass in it, but was locked.

About ready to do something desperate and very risky, the Doctor heard a crash and a shrill scream come from inside the house.

"Kathryn!" The Doctor pounded on the door. "Kathryn!"

There was a thud on the other side of the door. A lace curtain over the glass prevented the Doctor from seeing inside, but he could feel something on the other side of the door. Some kind of memory was locked up there, replaying over and over and over.

Sensations of agony, loss, regret, sickening knowledge, and self-loathing. The sounds were few; shots being fired, muffled words.

"Get out! Get out of my head!" Kathryn's voice yelled at him. "It's too much! You have too many lives in your head; get out!"

Her yells turned to sobs. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please, please! Forgive me, I'm sorry! I can't stop this, I'm sorry!"

The Doctor didn't know what the memory was, but it wasn't his concern. All the Doctor knew was that the strain of the city and his own mind was too much for Kathryn to take with such intimacy.

Opening his mind, the Doctor created a road and pulled the psyche of the entire city of Boron out of Kathryn's mind and into his own.

The cacophony receded, but the door of Kathryn's house never unlocked.

* * *

The Doctor let go of Kathryn's head. For a second, it looked like he'd been too late. Then Kathryn inhaled through her nose, eyes snapping open. She stared at the Doctor in confusion, then seemed suddenly frightened.

Shoving him back, she scrambled away, stumbling as she stood and placed the console between them and using it to brace herself.

"Kathryn, calm down."

Kathryn moved as the Doctor tried to walk around to her. "Keep your distance. I'm not letting you take them back; I won't."

"Take what back?"

Kathryn swallowed, trying to breathe. "You. You can't have them back."

"Kathryn, you aren't making any sense."

"Your memories, your mind! You left them in my head, and I won't give them back!"

* * *

*Constructive criticism welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*


	10. Chapter 10

The Doctor's face went blank. "Kathryn, what are you talking about?"

Kathryn took a deep breath, not looking at the Doctor. "Your memories. I saw them. Snapshots, seconds of recordings of section of your life…I saw them. You left yourself all over the place and…and I'm not letting you take them back."

"What exactly did you see?" The Doctor's voice was harder than usual.

"I saw—I think I saw—I _know_ I saw Gallifrey. It was bright red, all red with silver edges and flames from the plants that were made of sunlight. Huge cities in glass domes with tall people, proud brilliant people, and circles and the most gorgeous language I've ever heard. I could feel…I felt reflections of pride and happiness and deep, deep nostalgia."

The awe drained from Kathryn's face. "And then it crumbled. Folded in on itself and fractured. Whatever was in the fractures burned like…like freezing cold water on a blazing hot day. A battle was raging. Bigger than a battle. A war."

"The Time War."

Kathryn looked up into the Doctor face. "Yes. Yes, it must have been. It couldn't have been anything else. Even having seen it, I can't really describe it."

There was a heavy silence. "What else did you see?"

"Planets laid out from above, like staring at a living map of a solar system," Kathryn answered immediately, not wanting to risk the Doctor's ire worse than she had already. "I could feel TARDIS around me, but for some reason she seemed really young. There was intense pain, sadness, helpless rage, and a horrible heaviness. And then it all vanished. All those planets, replaced by blackness."

Kathryn blinked, understanding the sights she'd seen. "That was you, wasn't it? When you locked it all away, like you told Ace two months ago."

"Yes," the Doctor answered tersely. The silence was harder, sharper this time. "Is that all you saw?"

"All I could understand. I got glimpses of other things, people I think. A man who felt weird, like he shouldn't exist. He had the name of some organization attached to him, something to do with a burning forest that wasn't really burning. Another man, one who was very close to your heart, but he's dead now. Died in your arms." Kathryn caught the Doctor's look and pushed on. "Lots of women. Amazing how many women were in your memories. A few really stood out. I think I felt Ace. Very explosive child."

The Doctor's expression never changed. Kathryn felt as though he knew there was more. "There were a few more recent girls. Ah, there was a black girl. Smart, kind of quiet. It felt like you didn't really see her though, but she had a sense of…I think it was loyalty about her. Determination and absolute loyalty. Before her there was a redhead. She seemed more live-wire-ish, like you wouldn't want to cross her. A bit thick and noisy, but resilient and sassy as anything. She wasn't there for very long."

"That'd be Donna," the Doctor commented. "You'd like her."

"I bet I would," Kathryn said, daring to smile. She bit her top lip. "There was one other girl though, really recent. She had a lot of emotions tied to her. I couldn't begin to sort them all out. A blond girl, with a lot of pink and blue. She felt very naïve, and very vulnerable, but also very…I don't know. Very human."

The Doctor looked as though Kathryn had broken into the most private of all his thoughts and emotions. Unable to look into his face, Kathryn shot her eyes back down at the console.

"Why do you have them?" The question was more of a demanding statement.

"You left them," Kathryn said in a small voice. "When you found—when you found me," she hurriedly covered for herself. "I don't know a great deal about telepathy, but I think when you found the thing I base all my decisions around, you ended up showing yours."

The tension in the room eased. "Yeah, sounds about right," the Doctor admitted ruefully.

Kathryn smiled in relief, then seemed to remember something. She looked away, then forced her eyes back to the Doctor. "I meant what I said before Doctor; I'm not proud of what I did. And…and I really shouldn't have said some of those things to you. I'm sorry."

Kathryn could hear the teasing in the Doctor's voice. "If I managed to get an apology out of you, I'd better take it and run with it."

Kathryn's mouth twitched. "You'd better; you aren't likely to get another one."

She stepped round closer to the Doctor when another thought crossed her mind. "Doctor, have you ever died?"

The Doctor seemed taken aback. "Died?"

"Yeah. Have you died?"

"Nine times in nine different ways," the Doctor answered promptly. "Time Lords can do that. We regenerate—new body, same mind. Have the energy for twelve of them. Why do you ask?"

"What's it like? Dying and coming back."

The Doctor thought for a moment. "It's like a very fast, very sad song. It's not like a simple brain transplant; my entire character changes. I've been everything from a grumpy old grandfather to a young man wearing celery and a cricket outfit. Yet I never miss the man I just was, not really." He looked at her. "Why is it important?"

"I just needed a comparison point, that's all," Kathryn said, voice a bit distant. "During the cave in, I got crushed under the rocks. Aiden—" Kathryn choked on the name and tried again. "Aiden dug me out half way, then I just came back. I didn't even know I was dead. I just…came back. It hurt; my bones reset and my wounds closed, but I had no idea until he told me."

The Doctor frowned in confusion, thinking. "It's probably your energy," he said after a moment. "It's the same reason you heal so quickly; you just have too much power in you. You might never die."

"Not exactly comforting," Kathryn said. "I was hoping for a way out someday."

The comment hung in the air. Kathryn and the Doctor both looked up at footsteps.

Katrina stood in the entryway, Jaya held tightly in her arms. Her head was held high and her shoulders were back. She purposefully didn't look at Kathryn.

"My brother was sent back to the same place his girlfriend was. They married and sent their grandchildren to live on the surface in the town of Cesnium. They know that we'll be coming. I'd appreciate it if you'd take us there."

The Doctor nodded. Working in tandem, Kathryn and the Doctor piloted the TARDIS smoothly, noiselessly, to a spot just outside Cesnium. Katrina walked gracefully to the door, grief radiating from her. She paused with her hand on the door handle and turned, pinning Kathryn down with her eyes.

"Aiden wrote that I was to tell you he forgave you. I cannot do the same, nor do I think you deserve it. But I will not deny a dying wish."

She opened the door and stepped out. Jaya waved at the Doctor and Kathryn as the door shut.

The Doctor looked sideways at Kathryn. She inhaled shakily, controlling herself.

"You alright?" the Doctor asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

She sniffed. "So. I'll get changed, then we'll go someplace."

The Doctor nodded. "Anywhere in particular?"

"No."

"Then we'll use the random lever; let TARDIS surprise us."

Kathryn nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

The Doctor watched her back recede into the hallway, thinking over the memory at the center of her life and remembering the anguished scream that ran through the whole of it.

* * *

*Constructive criticism welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*

End of this re-write. I hope you all like the new covers; a friend of mine made them. I'm not magic like that.


End file.
